Inhaler.



Patented July 25, I899. W. WAGNER.

INHALER {Application filed. Jan. 18, 1899.)

(No Model.)

Ewen/tor. Mia fif 14% m Attorney.

1'04: ncnms IETERS 00v. 'HOTO-LIYNQ. WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

lV I LI-IELM VAGNER, OF AIX-LA-CHAPELLE, GERMANY.

INHALER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,482, dated July 25,1899.

Application filed January 18,1899. Serial No. 702,560. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILHELM WAGNER, M. D., a citizen of Germany,residing at 58 Boxgraben, AiX-la- Ohapelle, Kingdom of Prussia, Germany,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Ether-Masks; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,- and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an ether-mask in which a funnel-shaped coverprojecting inward is provided with a valve opening inward for admittingether and air for breathing, introduced into said f unnel-shaped cover,and with very fine sieves, made of non-ab-. sorbent material, stretchedacross the interior of the receptacle, between said valve and anoutlet-valve arranged laterallyon the sur face of the mask, for takingup and distributing the ether.

The accompanying drawing shows a mask according to this invention invertical section.

This mask consists of a metal casing A, closed at the top byafunnel-shaped cover B, the other side, which is applied to the face ofthe person to whom the anesthetic is to be administered, being suitablyshaped and edged with rubber tube to render it air-tight when applied tothe face. The funnel-shaped cover B is providedat its lowest point withan opening a, closed by a spring-controlled non-return valve 1) in suchmanner as to allow air to enter the interior of the mask, but to preventit from escaping. At the side of the casing is arranged an opening 0,closed by a non-return-valve outlet cl, arranged outside and working inthe opposite direction-1 e., enabling air to escape, but preventing itfrom entering. Between the two valves there are stretched in theinterior of the casing in a transverse direction one or more very finemetallic sieves D. When the mask is being used, the anesthetic fallsonto and becomes distributed over said sieves. It not only moistens thefine wires of the sieves, but also thus considerably accelerates thevaporiz-,

ing of the ether. This vaporizing is all the quicker, since-the ether isplaced not, as in ordinary masks, on absorbing materialsuch as gauze,flannel, sponge, wool, &c.but on a non-porous material. According to thelaws of physics all substances having a great absorbing property give upthe substances absorbed with difiiculty, whereas the vaporization ofether on the sieves according to this invention is incomparably quicker.

Experiments with the new masks have shown that'a completely insensiblestate has been reached by means of ether in one and one-half to fourminutes, whereas in other masks it requires a much longer time. Not onlythe ether alone quickly becomes vaporized, but its vaporization isaccelerated by the admission of an unlimited quantity of atmosphericair, so that the patient does not simply breathe vapors of ether, butair saturated with ether.

The anesthetic is, as already stated, supplied byintroducingit into thefunnel-shaped cover B, whence it enters the interior of the valve 1) andremainsthere as long as the valve is closed. The valve opens only aslong as breathing proceeds in a regular manner. As soon, however, as thebreathing ceases the valve remains closed, and ether cannot pene-- trateinto the interior of the mask. By means of this arrangement the valveconstitutes a device for automatically regulating the anesthetic-supply,which is of the highest importance, as itsadmission when breathing hasceased is not only undesirable, but dangerous to the life of thepatient.

Having now fully described my invention,

the valves, substantially as shown and delo scribed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VVILHELM WAGN ER.

\Vitnesses:

O. E. BRUNDAGE, JOSEPHINE BISCHOF.

